NASA Science Explorer

All Around the Worlds

Perhaps the best way to explain worldwide changes and show global phenomena is to place the datasets on a spherical display that allows visitors to imagine them on the actual surface of the Earth. With this idea in mind, Ideum collaborated with NASA’s Earth Observing System Project Science Office to develop a comprehensive exhibit for a variety of settings, such as tradeshows and their visitor center, on a spherical display known as the Magic Planet.

The NASA Science Explorer exhibit allows the public to access and control unique spherical datasets that provide information on various global phenomena. For example, visitors can explore ocean temperatures and see how the EL Niño phenomenon affects global weather. Rich data from a variety of NASA Earth orbit satellites is included.

Ideum has developed half a dozen exhibits using the Global Imagination Magic Planet over the past few years. This is the first time that we have incorporated multitouch capabilities into the touchscreen interface that controls the globe.

The touchscreen has a 16:10 ratio aspect and a huge 1680 x 1050 pixel display. The display looks crisp even on a huge 22″ touchscreen. While the application is multitouch-enabled, it is designed so that it works with standard touch screens as well.

The application is fully extensible. An XML structure allows NASA to update information, images, and even change the application’s parameters. The custom software was developed with Adobe Flash and Ideum’s own Open Exhibits (formerly GestureWorks Flash) framework, which allows Flash developers to easily develop their own custom multitouch applications.